Minamisanriku - the fishing port that 'vanished'

TOKYO - It was once a thriving fishing port where, for generations, families had made a living from the sea. But today, Minamisanriku - located 80km west of the quake's epicentre off the coast of Japan - lies buried under a sea of mud, victim of the waters that once nurtured it. The town, nestled in the undulating hills of the Motoyoshi district, about 500km north of Tokyo in Miyagi prefecture, was battered by 10m waves after Friday's earthquake. Great swathes of the urban centre no longer exist. Roads and bridges have been washed away. The police believe a train packed with commuters is buried in the slurry. It is as if Minamisanriku has vanished under the wall of water, leaving in its place a pile of mud and debris. The town's plight began to emerge on Saturday morning, when the local council announced that around 10,000 of the 17,000 residents were unaccounted for in th...